Moody: Watch Your Step When Touring The Zoo’s ‘Elephant Passage’

DENVER (CBS4) – Come June 1 the best place to see Asian elephants, Malayan tapirs and greater one-horned rhinos will be in a new and special place at the Denver Zoo. It’s called “Toyota Elephant Passage.”

CBS4 Critic at Large Greg Moody took a tour Tuesday and reported on what he found.

“This is great for the elephants — it’s a move to much bigger much nicer digs,” Moody said. “To put it in perspective, just think back to the day when you moved from your first tiny apartment to that place where you could really spread out.”

The new exhibit boasts a $50 million price tag and 10 acres. It includes three ponds which are filled with 1.1 million gallons of recycled water. The ponds are deep enough so the elephants can immerse themselves completely in the water.

There are also three crossovers where the animals will actually cross back and forth over visitor’s heads. The gibbon monkeys will also be able to cross over from atop a rope.

Watch Moody’s report in the video below:

“Toyota Elephant Passage is by far the most exciting exhibit the Denver Zoo has ever done. I would argue it’s actually the best elephant exhibit in the world,” said George Pond, Denver Zoo VP of Planning and Capital Projects. ” “Every time you visit it’s going to be a new experience.”

Pond said he’s been working on the elephant exhibit since October 2003.

Watch Pond’s entire interview with Moody below.

The Toyota Elephant Passage also has an eye on the future. Ninety percent of all waste from the elephants and the zoo will be turned into bio energy, both electrical and thermal.